Tabnak - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is in a two-day official visit to Moscow, meeting with the Russian leaders and discussing about a range of bilateral, regional and international issues. After meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev yesterday, he is today hosted by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Heading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, Rouhani arrived at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport on the official invitation of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Monday evening.
After meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev yesterday, he was welcomed by Putin earlier today in the Kremlin and the two leaders started their talks after the official welcoming ceremony. The two presidents are also expected to issue a statement following their meeting.
Iran and Russia will also sign 15 agreements to boost cooperation between the two countries in different economic, judicial and diplomatic fields.
During the meeting in the Russian capital late Monday, President Rouhani and Medvedev explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating bilateral ties, especially in the fight against terrorist groups.
"During this visit, we can observe new developments in expanding ties between the two countries in political, economic, cultural and international issues," President Rouhani said.
The Russian prime minister, for his part, said that Moscow is steadfast in boosting its relations with Iran in all fields. Medvedev underlined that President Rouhani’s visit is a significant step in development of relations, saying that "Currently, good atmosphere dominates relations between two capitals and no doubt, this visit could significantly help better, deeper ties between Tehran and Moscow."
Rouhani’s meetings in Moscow continued today by having a speech at Moscow State University on Tuesday morning. "Unfortunately today, we are witnessing the growth of violent extremism in the world,” Rouhani said in his speech at the university upon receiving an honorary doctoral degree.
The Iranian president further pointed to his 2015 proposal to the UN, World Against Violence and Extremism, and said "the need for a global will to eliminate violence and extremism is today felt more than ever before.”
The proposal, known as WAVE, was drafted and tabled in the form of a resolution at the UN General Assembly, which adopted the text in December 2013.
It is Rouhani's first official visit to Moscow, and technically it is the first time the two leaders will meet within a purely bilateral framework. Although it is the ninth time Putin and Rouhani will have met face to face, their previous meetings were held either on the sidelines of international events, such as the UN General Assembly meeting, or in the context of multilateral initiatives.
The last time they met was on Aug. 8, 2016, when they joined their Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev for a trilateral summit in Baku. Putin’s only visit to Tehran during the past 10 years took place on Nov. 23, 2015, for a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum.
